Q&A: N Brown’s Clare Empson on digital transformation and AI being the future of supply chain

Having been announced as N Brown’s new supply chain director in January, it’s been a busy six months for Clare Empson. Empson’s day starts bright and early with a visit to the retailer’s Oldham distribution centre. Her days may also consist of shipping and final mile management, workplace engineering and health and safety control.

She is, like many supply chain directors across the sector, balancing a range of strategic priorities.

Above all that, Empson says the heart of her role at N Brown is supplier relationships. She says managing these relationships correctly allows for her to cultivate a positive culture and progressive ways of working together to surmount the myriad challenges facing the industry. 

With supply chains being a hotter topic now than ever, Retail Week sat down with Empson to discuss transparency, N Brown’s top priorities and what’s going to transform supply chains for the future.

How important is data and does this tie into the use of AI at N Brown?

“Data is incredibly important and it’s one of our five strategic pillars. We’re focused on creating a customer-first experience with data and technology at its core, and data-driven decision making that drives our overall strategy. Data is integral to any organisation so it’s no surprise that it’s a top priority.

“We don’t currently use AI within our supply chain processes but it’s something that we and I are very much open to exploring as a business. We have a very clear data strategy within the organisation but there are other areas of the business where we are implementing the use of AI including advertising, product development and improving the overall use of data. It is a topical subject within the business. I would say I see it coming in with automation, to give us the ability to have better insights within how we operate.”

How have you navigated the ongoing Red Sea disruption within the supply chain?

“I think the impacts and issues of the Red Sea shipping crisis are felt by everybody within the industry. As a business, we prioritise our supply chain relationships and partners and we take a proactive approach to managing any potential disruption to ensure as little impact as possible on our customers. That’s why long-term, strong and trusted partnerships are key. 

“We’re not a fast-fashion retailer working to a tight turnaround with product delivery, which does enable us to pivot more effectively so as a result we’ve seen minimal impact to date from the Red Sea, which I’m pleased to say. Things were very much already in place but there’s been some gentle tweaks along the way to help us pivot correctly.”

How important is sustainability?

“We take our responsibility around sustainability very seriously so that our ethical and environmental policies align commercially and to ensure we deliver on our commitments.

“Within our sustainability strategy, we have the planet, which focuses on our priority areas across emission reductions, nature and conservation, circularity and traceability. We’re also signatories of the BRC Climate Action Roadmap and we’ve committed to achieving net zero by 2040, which we are already working towards.”

What are your priorities currently across the supply chain?

“We’re prioritising the customer post-purchase journey. We’ve recently launched some new exciting features on our sales channels that enable next-day delivery and click and collect for our customers.

“It’s those added-value services that we’re focusing on. Customers now have the option to collect a parcel from their local parcel shop when it’s convenient, rather than having to be at home. It’s all about building on the customer journey and exceeding expectations. 

“The ability to offer variety and be able to meet the demands and expectations of the customer in a challenging industry is key.”

What’s to come in the future within the supply chain space?

“Digital transformation is of course key and we talked a bit about AI and the part that it will play in the future. They are the two key things to look out for, along with establishing and progressing customer-centric supply chain, for being able to retain and attract new customers. 

“From an ethical and transparent way of working within supply chain practices, customers are far more conscious of how their clothes are made, where they’re from and I think we’re more likely to see retailers providing much greater visibility of supply chain process and where their products are coming from.

“At N Brown, we’re increasing the visibility of our supply chain through our transparency pledge in collaboration with our suppliers. We’ve mapped over 60% of our tier two and three suppliers and we aim to have full transparency across these tiers by FY26.”